DGCA transfers official over violation of training norms

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has transferred its Director of Flight Training over allegations involving intentional violations of critical flight training regulations.

The DGCA issued the transfer order on January 30, with the Director of the Drone Directorate Ravindra Kumar taking over the post of Director of Flight Training from Ajit Koshy and vice-versa.

The move comes days after the DGCA received complaints alleging that a Kanpur-based flight training organisation (FTO), in collusion with officials, conducted operations with insufficient visibility, endangering trainee pilots and nearby commercial aircraft.

On January 21, the Association of Flight Training Organisations (AFTO) wrote to the regulator highlighting alleged violations of rules by the Kanpur-based Garg Aviation. “AFTO is compelled to submit this complaint because air safety violations can result in accidents and fatalities. Even if past air safety violations have not led to accidents, such violations have the potential to cause accidents in the future,” the letter, seen by HT, said.

The AFTO alleged that Garg Aviation were operating without transponders within the controlled airspace of Chakeri (three nautical miles from Kanpur), where commercial air transport aircraft and fighter jets were operating.

The letter mentioned that the Directorate of Flight Training (DFT), on November 20, emailed all FTOs emphasising compliance with visibility requirement.

However, on November 22, the DFT’s flight operations inspector Capt. Shubham Verma conducted flight checks while Garg Aviation operated almost 20 hours of training flights in non-compliance with visibility requirements.

The minimum required visibility for flight operations as per DGCA’s Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) and directives is 5,000 metres. According to the data from the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Chakeri, the AFTO said that the maximum visibility declared for the control zone was 3,000 metres on November 22.

“Despite clear directives from the Directorate of Flying Training in 2023 and November 2024, Garg Aviation, in collusion with Capt. Shubham Verma, violated DGCA’s rules and regulations, thereby compromising safety,” the letter read.

The AFTO alleged that the chief flight instructor –– who declared visibility for the FTO’s operations –– was neither an accredited nor a trained meteorologist.

It noted that FTOs within control zones cannot declare visibility for their own operations and must adhere to the visibility declared by the control tower in charge of the control zone. Furthermore, it alleged that several trainer aircraft from Garg Aviation did not seek Special VFR (visual flight rules needed for aircraft to operate in poor visibility) clearance from IAF Chakeri while operating on November 22. 

“If air safety is compromised within a control zone where commercial air transport aircraft also operate, any violation could lead to a catastrophic accident,” the AFTO said in its letter. “The resolution of these matters is time-sensitive and critical to ensuring adherence to regulations and maintaining flight safety standards.”